How to Print T Shirt Transfers at Home (Full Color and No Layering)

If you're tired of layering HTV and registration marks..I'm going to show you how to print t shirt transfers at home!

These are full color, ready to press transfers you can print and cut with a single machine! Read on for the details. 

The t shirt transfer printer (and cutter) that I use and love is the Roland! There are four models of the ecosolvent printer...two print white (I don't think that's needed for more people) and two are CMYK only. 

Roland BN-20A vs BN2-20A

We're going to focus on the CMYK only models: The Roland BN2-20A and BN-20A.  At the core the two function the same way, but there are some significant differences that account for the price difference. 

I have both and prefer the BN2-20A, and that's what I'll be using for this tutorial to show you how to print t shirt transfers.  But just know you can also do this with the BN-20A. 

Best Types of Designs for Print and Cut T Shirt Transfers

When you're printing and cutting T Shirt transfers you want to take the design into consideration.  The transfers will have a hard cut edges so images with a faded or feathered edge or background should be avoided. 

You can often find commercial free images for T Shirt transfers in the Sublimation or Vector image section of file sites like So Fontsy.

I'm using a set of designs from So Fontsy's Snarky and Sarcastic Bundle.  The only thing I had to do to prepare these files before sending them to cut on a roll of printable HTV is add the Roland contour cut lines. 

Printing and Cutting T Shirt Transfers with Roland BN2-20A

The 20" BN2-20A prints them first, then contour cuts around the edge directly on a printable heat transfer vinyl material.  This is not inkjet printable material, but solvent which is fade and scratch resistant. 

When the printing and cutting is complete you can remove the printed sheet from the Roland. 

With printable HTV the printed side is face up with the adhesive side on the liner. The is different than something like Siser Easyweed where the adhesive side of the HTV is exposed and no masking is necessary. 

For this reason, ready to press t shirt transfers printed on the Roland BN2-20A need to be masked before being applied to a garment. 

I would recommend cutting the transfers apart before you move forward with weeding and masking them. 

How to Transfer Printable Vinyl to Shirt

Weed away the excess material just like you would any HTV transfer.  

Grab a piece of high task, heat resistant mask and cut it down so it's about the same size as the transfer.  Separate the mask from it's liner. (Keep the mask's liner sheet for later.) 

With the weeding transfer on a flat surface, hold the mask with two hands and place the center down first to cover the transfer. 

You can use a brayer or scraper or cold laminator to burnish the mask to the transfer. 

Grab the corner of the mask in one hand and the corner of the transfer sheet in the other and rip...really fast.  The transfer, with it's adhesive side now exposed, will now be stuck to the mask. 

Time and Temperature for Siser Printable HTV

Now you're ready to apply the transfer to your shirt or other garment. I press at about 300 degrees for 15 seconds and then do a warm to cool-ish peel. 

Ready to start printing t shirt transfers at home with a Roland BN2-20A or BN-20A? Shop here! 

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